Travel from Cape Town to Victoria Falls on this accommodated safari adventure exploring South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

In South Africa highlights include Cape Point Nature Reserve and the Cederberg Mountains, before crossing into Namibia where our first stops are the Gariep River and Fish River Canyon.

Venture into the Namib Desert walking through Sossusvlei's orange-red dunes and the Sesriem Canyon. Then stop in Swakopmund for optional adventure activities before visiting the dramatic Damaraland and viewing ancient San rock art. Next this affordable African Lodge Safari travels to Etosha Park for top-notch game viewing, followed by a night in Windhoek, before driving into Botswana and the Kalahari Desert.

Explore the pristine Okavango Delta, where we spend two nights camping to experience the untamed wilderness on foot and by mokoro canoes. From the watery delta our budget lodge safari journeys to the vast Makgadikgadi Pans and on to Chobe National Park for a game viewing boat cruise on Chobe River.

Then we travel to our final stop, the mighty Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe!

Responsible Travel Note

During this trip you are likely to come across activities that encourage tourists to participate in lion, elephant or other wildlife interaction. This includes walking with lions, riding elephants and any other tourist operation putting travellers in close contact with animals that would normally live wild and separate from human contact.

We absolutely do not encourage or endorse this type of wildlife interaction operation. For more information on why this is not good for Africa's wild animals, please see our detailed blog post on the subject.

Day 1: Cape Town - South Africa

This Cape Town to Victoria Falls Lodge Safari departs from Cape Town at 8:00 am, after a tour briefing.

We make our way to the Cape Point Nature Reserve visiting the African Penguin colony en route. After exploring the scenic Cape Point Reserve, home to numerous endangered plants and animals, we relax on Hout Bay beach.

Then it’s off to taste some of Cape Town’s culinary delights at a local restaurant in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (own expense). We stay in twin share rooms at a collection of guesthouses in the city centre area of Cape Town, near the V&A Waterfront. The guesthouses are within walking distance of each other, and the tour group will meet in one of the guesthouses for breakfast together.

Includes: Entry fees to Penguin colony & Cape Nature Point.

Overnight: Guesthouse - twin rooms with en-suite facilities.

Distance/time: Full day Cape Peninsula tour of 160km taking between 6 and 8 hours.

Day 2: Cederberg - South Africa

Today our accommodated safari adventure travels into the mountainous Cederberg region of the Western Cape, known for its beautiful rugged scenery and Bushman rock paintings.

The Cederberg is a dramatic rocky wilderness featuring giant sandstone boulders eroded by wind and rain into strange and interesting shapes. We spend the afternoon exploring the solitary and wild area on foot, returning to our chalets in the evening.

Day 3: Gariep River - Namibia

Continuing north we drive through more arid regions of South Africa before crossing into Namibia.

Once in Namibia we settle in at our lodge on the Gariep River, formerly called the Orange River.

At the Gariep River, you have some free time to swim and relax in this remote wilderness setting. Alternatively, you can take an optional canoe adventure down the river (own expense), which forms the border between Namibia and South Africa.

Day 5 – 6: Namib Desert - Namibia

The Sossusvlei area of the arid Namib Desert is known for its towering red-orange sand dunes, shaped by the wind into sharp ridges. These are some of the tallest dunes in the world and form an entrance into the Namib Desert. On entering the ancient desert, we walk to Sossusvlei and explore the Sesriem Canyon with its ancient sedimentary layers. In the evenings, from the comfort of our lodge situated outside the national park, we will watch the breathtaking sunsets over the dunes.

At the end of the day, we get to enjoy another dramatic African sunset over the barren sand dunes of the Namib Desert.

Day 9: Damaraland - Namibia

Continuing our southern African journey along the stark Atlantic coastline of Namibia we make our way north to the Cape Cross seal colony, one of the world’s largest Cape Fur Seal colonies.

Then we veer inland to Damaraland, an area of contrasting landscapes consisting of barren plains, petrified fossil forests and ancient valleys scattered with rocky outcrops. Here you will see the towering peaks of the Brandberg Massive Mountains, Brandberg Mountain being Namibia's tallest mountain.

We explore this remote wild area, also known as the Matterhorn of Namibia, to see San rock art.

Day 10 – 11: Etosha National Park - Namibia

On day 10 of our African Lodge Safari adventure, we travel to Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s finest game parks. Etosha is dominated by a flat saltpan that it is named after, Etosha, meaning “the great white place of dry water”.

Game-rich Etosha, located in the northwest corner of Namibia, is home to a variety of wildlife including more than 110 mammal species. The vast Etosha Park is known as a top safari destination for sighting endangered black rhino, the elusive cheetah and a rare black-faced impala species. Etosha hosts large herds of elephants and numerous plains game, such as zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, springbok, impala and eland among others. Lion, hyena and jackal are also found in Etosha Park, as well as around 340 bird species and over 100 reptile species.

Our game drives take us in search of Etosha’s diverse wildlife that congregates at waterholes scattered across the huge dry saltpan. We stay at a comfortable lodge just outside of Etosha Park.

Optional Activities: Night game drive in Etosha National Park vehicles.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 12: Windhoek - Namibia

Today we leave the sprawling wilderness of Etosha Park making our way south to Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city.

There is time to explore the charming city of Windhoek discovering its unique colonial German and African influences and architecture. In the evening we enjoy dinner at one of the local restaurants in this friendly city (own expense).

Please Note: The shorter 13-day Cape Town to Windhoek Lodge Tour option ends in Windhoek on the morning of day 13 after breakfast. See the full pricing details for the price of this shorter safari option.

Day 14 – 16: Okavango Delta - Botswana

Set off for Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta where we prepare for our delta trip. The Okavango Delta is a truly wild African safari destination, considered one of the best wildlife areas in Africa. The Okavango system consists of a vast network of winding channels, secluded estuaries and islands making up the largest inland delta in the world.

On day 15 we journey deep into the untamed wilderness of the Okavango Delta by mokoro (dugout canoe) poled by locals. The unforgettable mokoro ride brings us to our camp set on a remote island in the pristine delta. For the next two nights, we stay in the wild delta experiencing the African bush at its best.

Our days in the Okavango Delta are spent enjoying bush walks, swimming in the waterways and spotting the abundant birdlife and various wild animals found in the delta.

We sleep in twin, en-suite canvas chalets.

Includes: Entry to Okavango Delta, morning & afternoon game walks with local guides.

Day 17: Makgadikgadi Pans - Botswana

From the watery labyrinth of the wild Okavango Delta, our African Safari takes us to the barrenMakgadikgadi Pans, one of the world’s largest saltpans. The vast open expanse of the dry salt flats was once an enormous lake in the Kalahari basin.

Makgadikgadi is an ideal place to experience open space with the wide open African skies and endless pans. We enjoy a spectacular sunset over the solitary flat pans. The pans are however not always dry. Annual rains fill the pans with pools of water that attract thousands of water birds and herds of zebra, wildebeest and springbok.

Day 18: Chobe National Park - Botswana

Today we travel north to the famous Chobe National Park, best known for its huge elephant and buffalo herds.

Chobe Park covers four ecosystems and hosts one of the largest elephant populations in Africa. This afternoon we embark on a leisurely sunset cruise along the Chobe River. Chobe is renowned for its superb boat-based game viewing, offering close encounters with wild animals and birds.

We soak up the beautiful bush scenery at sunset and look out for crocodiles, hippos, elephants and a variety of antelope species, as well as an array of birds, as we meander along the river.

Day 19 – 21: Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe

From Botswana, we travel to Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe. This is our final safari destination, located at the famous Victoria Falls waterfall, the largest sheet of falling water in the world.

We visit the impressive Victoria Falls, one of the top natural wonders of the world, witnessing the “Smoke that Thunders” or Mosi-o-Tunya as the locals call it. After admiring the spectacle of the Zambezi River plunging over 100 meters into the Gorge below we have the option of embarking on a relaxing sunset river cruise on the mighty Zambezi. Alternatively, you can take the thrilling “flight of angels” over the Vic Falls (own expense).

This Cape Town to Victoria Falls Budget Lodge Safari ends on the morning of day 21 at the hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

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